Lightning in the Field
by Chrysanthemum White
Summary: An archer aims for Ilyana. Oneshot.


The only reason Mordecai didn't see the archer was he was at that present moment tearing into a halberdier. But he heard the scream, and he smelled her blood even through the other scents of battle. It was a sickly sweet tang underneath the wood smell of the arrow and the sharp electricity of her spell still arcing through the air.

"Ilyana!" called Mia. "Soren, clear a path. I can't reach her!"

Soren hit that archer with two wind spells in tandem, and Ike was close enough to see a twinge of real anger on his tactician's face.

"Rhys," said Ike. "We've got injured. Take care of it. Mia!" He carved down a Daein soldier with one swing and tossed Mia a vulnerary with the other. "Help Rhys get over there."

"Righto, Boss!"

Mordecai tore through the enemy soldiers in his path. In his rush he was purely tiger, all claw and tooth and smite, so he reached Ilyana first.

"Little beorc." Mordecai's words were half growl and half concern, a mix between the languages of laguz and beorc. "Are you alright? I told you to stay close. I told you I would protect your skinny body."

"I just wanted…" Ilyana had one pale hand pressed over the wound in her side. Blood seeped up across her fingers. The redder it ran, the paler she became. "To be useful… oh… I don't want to die on an empty stomach…"

"You will not die here. I will make sure of that."

He untransformed and scooped her up, taking a blade to the back in the process, and spun around to kick his assailant. The Daein myrmidon went careening backwards and tumbled to the ground, where he made a mad scramble to regain his footing. Mordecai saw the terror in his eyes. He snarled, cradling Ilyana against his chest, and hunched over as if he were about to transform back into the tiger. The wound on his back hadn't started to ache yet. He could down another enemy if he must.

He didn't want to.

The myrmidon raised a shaky blade.

"This is pointless," hissed Mordecai. "I do not wish to fight. I wish to help my beorc friend."

"Sub-human lies!" cried the myrmidon. "Beasts never help anyone but themselves!"

"I have no time for this." Mordecai turned sideways, tightening his grip on Ilyana. She felt so small in his arms. He tackled the myrmidon with one meaty shoulder and then pressed onward, quickly bridging the gap to Mia, who he could see slashing down Daein soldiers with fervor while Rhys hid behind her.

"Mordecai," said Mia between sword swings. Felled enemies groaned and yelped in pain when she marched right over them in order to get to Mordecai and Ilyana, dragging Rhys behind her. "Figures you'd get to her first. How's it looking? She's not dying, is she?"

Ilyana gasped and winced and made a noise that sounded to Mordecai very much like an animal whimper. She was sweating, pale, and her teeth were set in a grimace of pain while the blood slid along her fingertips then down her side and over Mordecai's beefy wrist to drip to the ground. Mia's usual cheerful expression slid off her face and was replaced by worry.

"I think I…" Ilyana wheezed. Her chest heaved with the effort of breathing. "I really… overdid it this time…"

"Do not speak," said Mordecai. "Save your strength. When this is over and you are better, we will have a feast to celebrate."

"That's right!" said Mia in a voice that was too chipper. "Just hang in there and you can have whatever food you want, however much you want! I'll give you my rations for a whole week!"

"Oh… sounds nice..."

Gently, Mordecai set Ilyana down. He knelt over her with hunched shoulders and smoothed a stray strand of lavender hair off her sweaty face. Rhys moved forward, heal staff aglow with warm light, and Ilyana's wound was just beginning to stitch itself back together when the bulb at the top of the staff shattered.

"It broke?!" said Mia.

"Goodness," said Rhys. "So it would seem. Unfortunately, I'm afraid I don't have another. I'm sorry. I was ill-prepared, and now..."

Ilyana's eyes were losing focus.

"Here, Boss gave me this." Mia offered the vulnerary. "Good in a pinch."

Rhys fumbled when he took it from Mia but made quick work of applying the vulnerary to Ilyana's wound.

"Uh, guys." Mia pointed with the tip of her sword. "We've got more enemies headed our way."

Mordecai's lips curled. He automatically leaned further over Ilyana.

Rhys paused a moment. "Go. Get her to safety. I have full faith Mia will keep me out of the line of fire."

"You know it!"

"I am thankful," said Mordecai. He swept one arm under Ilyana's legs at the knees and braced the other against her back as he hoisted her against his chest. She let out a disoriented groan. He looked down at her and spoke softly. "I am moving you away from the danger. You are safe."

"…are you taking me somewhere to eat?"

"Yes." Mordecai's chest rumbled in a hearty chuckle. Ilyana nuzzled her ear into it and heard his heartbeat strong and solid against her cheek. He started off towards the edge of the battlefield, avoiding Daein soldiers by use of his keen laguz senses. "I am taking you somewhere to eat."

"Mm… I'm starving. I could eat a million portions."

"I do not doubt it, little beorc."

Ilyana squinted past Mordecai's shoulder, where a net of silhouetted branches formed the forest canopy. Sunlight dappled the blood slowly drying on her tunic as she blinked away her bleariness and refocused on Mordecai's face. Her dizziness faded, revealing that his mouth was set in a tense frown. The warm, feline amber of his eyes reflected grim concern. He stared straight ahead, nose and ears twitching, occasionally making a face that allowed one fang to protrude from behind the curl of his lips. Ilyana hadn't paid much attention to how sharp laguz teeth were before, but now she found herself fascinated. With a shaky hand she poked at her own canines, musing at their sharpness, and then reached up to stroke the side of Mordecai's beard. She giggled in delirium and scratched his furry ears.

He glanced down at her. His expression softened with confusion.

"You'll protect me?" asked Ilyana, sobered now.

"I will. I promised."

"And you'll feed me?"

"Of course. I promised that too."

"Then I'll survive. There's no need to worry over me. I have things to live for."

Mordecai nuzzled into her palm. "I am relieved."


End file.
